​Learning the Arabic Language

The Arabic language is an ancient tongue that dates back to earlier than the 6th century. It is a language steeped in history and shrouded in mystery. Today, Arabic is the 5th most spoken language on the planet, and it is the official language in many Middle Eastern countries, such as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

If you are interested in the study of ancient Near Eastern history, modern Middle Eastern history, religion, or foreign language, learning the Arabic language will help you in your academic pursuits. In Singapore, learning Arabic is especially important because students can also gain extra points for taking Arabic as a third language. Furthermore, the Quran, the Islamic holy book is written in Arabic and is the holy text for one of Singapore’s main races, Malays. There are several ways you can go about learning how to read, write and speak Arabic.

Arabic is very useful for those in academia, particularly for students of religion, history, archaeology or even art history. Arabic will help you to translate ancient documents and literature, which could give you wonderful research capabilities in Singapore and overseas.

At Agape School of Education (ASE), we teach Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is the language of written Arabic. Not only is it used in the Holy Quran, it is the language of newspapers and is also widely heard on the radio and television.

As the MSA is also used in the GCE ‘O’ level examinations, our course enables students to read and write at an acceptable academic level; although it can also be customised for business-centred, couture, and religious study.

If you have plans to travel extensively to an Arabic-speaking country such as Egypt or Morocco, consider taking ASE’s accelerated foreign language courses for travel. By learning the basics of their language, travellers can ensure that they remain culturally sensitive and make travel easy as they can communicate with locals. Without the worry of communication, travellers are free to have a greater appreciation for the culture and people they meet.

There are several advantages to learning how to read and speak the Arabic language. At ASE, you can modify your course to suit your specific goals and schedule so that your studies won’t interfere with your work and personal commitments. Our group classes provide many opportunities to interact with qualified instructors and other students, to help students improve their conversational skills.

Singapore government agencies and private sectors have realised the tremendous business opportunities available in the Arab world, which comprises of 22 countries. There are now several hundreds of Singapore companies operating in Arab Countries, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Furthermore, the Singapore government has recognised the Arab world as a potential emerging market and set up several embassies and government agencies, such as the International Enterprise Singapore in the region.

Dubai alone hosts around 350 Singapore companies operating in many sectors. Within a few years, Singapore employees in the Arab world have managed to establish their reputation and they are recognised as honest, sincere and hard-working employees. All these factors will open many opportunities for those who learn the Arabic language to secure jobs in these promising markets of the Arab world.

Whether you are a student of ancient history, religion, or archaeology and you feel that learning the Arabic language will give you a leg up in carrying out your research, or you are making plans to travel to an Arabic speaking country like Egypt or Morocco in the near future and want to be able to ask where the bathroom is or order dinner from the menu in their language, learning Arabic will help. Taking the time to learn the Arabic language will allow you to immerse yourself into an interesting new culture, perhaps help to change a few stereotypes, enhance your travels and supplement your academic pursuits or career goals.

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Agape School of Education has been providing award-winning language instruction to our students since 2006.Our courses are designed for all ages and levels, from students, casual learners to the career-minded adult.